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Stimulus Raised GDP 4.2% in First Quarter
The massive U.S. stimulus package put up to 3.4 million people to work and boosted GDP by up to 4.6 percent in the first three months of 2010, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday. CBO’s latest estimate does not differ significantly from its previous assessments of the impact of the $893 billion package, passed in 2009.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before
BP is optimistic there is mud in your pipe.
(pic from Kevin Dooley via Flickr)
Hey look everybody, everything is looking like it’s no problem — yet again!
BP Plc Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said on Wednesday it appears drilling mud, not oil, was gushing from a ruptured undersea well six hours into an effort to halt a month-old oil spill.
And we’ve no reason to ever doubt their word, so surely this means the corner has been turned and we can go back to being eviscerated by big banks again. Or maybe not them alone.
BP Goes In for the Top Kill
The news that British Petroleum began its latest attempt to contain the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill Wednesday afternoon with the “top kill” stopgap strategy would be more heartening if it didn’t come so late in the game—and if there was more of a guarantee that it would do the job. —KA The New York Times: The Coast Guard gave BP approval on Wednesday morning to move forward with the maneuver after consulting with government scientists, as technicians completed preparatory diagnostic work. A live video feed of the leak was available online throughout the procedure, BP officials said. Tony Hayward, chief executive office of BP said, it would be “a day or two before we can have certainty that it’s worked.” On the other hand, failure could become apparent within minutes or hours, a technician involved in the procedure said. Either way, President Obama will return to Louisiana on Friday to survey the spill’s damage, the White House said. The consequences for BP are profound: A successful capping of the leaking well could finally begin to mend the company’s brittle image after weeks of failed efforts, and perhaps limit the damage to wildlife and marine life from reaching catastrophic levels. Read more
The news that British Petroleum began its latest attempt to contain the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill Wednesday afternoon with the “top kill” stopgap strategy would be more heartening if it didn’t come so late in the game—and if there was more of a guarantee that it would do the job.? —KA
The New York Times:
The Coast Guard gave BP approval on Wednesday morning to move forward with the maneuver after consulting with government scientists, as technicians completed preparatory diagnostic work. A live video feed of the leak was available online throughout the procedure, BP officials said.
Tony Hayward, chief executive office of BP said, it would be “a day or two before we can have certainty that it’s worked.” On the other hand, failure could become apparent within minutes or hours, a technician involved in the procedure said.
Either way, President Obama will return to Louisiana on Friday to survey the spill’s damage, the White House said.
The consequences for BP are profound: A successful capping of the leaking well could finally begin to mend the company’s brittle image after weeks of failed efforts, and perhaps limit the damage to wildlife and marine life from reaching catastrophic levels.
Richard (RJ) Eskow: “No More Secrecy”: Open The Wall Street Negotiations and Empower Voters
The Campaign for America’s Future (CAF), CREDO, and MoveOn have launched a petition campaign to ensure that the House/Senate deliberations on financial reform be “fully…
Obama Oil Spill Speech: President To Take Questions, Cite Report, On Gulf Oil Spill
WASHINGTON — Escalating his administration’s response to the disastrous Gulf oil spill, President Barack Obama plans to announce Thursday that a moratorium on new deepwater…
Azadeh Shahshahani: College Educator or Immigration Police? Why Universities Should Not Enter Dangerous Terrain of Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws
Jessica Colotl, the 21-year-old exemplary Kennesaw State college student who fell victim to the Cobb sheriff’s abuse of the 287(g) power, which delegates some federal…
Beck falsely claims Obama will not “honor our troops” on Memorial Day
Glenn Beck falsely claimed that President Obama “has decided not to honor our troops on Memorial Day.” In fact, Obama will speak at a Memorial Day service at a dedicated Veterans Affairs cemetery in Illinois; Obama is not the first president to commemorate the holiday somewhere other than Arlington National Cemetery.
From the May 26 edition of Premiere Radio Networks’ The Glenn Beck Program:
BECK: The president has decided not to honor our troops on Memorial Day and go to — can you find out the last president that decided to take a vacation and then go to a Paul McCartney — come back for a Paul McCartney concert, but not for the laying of a wreath on Memorial Day? Maybe this has happened before. I don’t recall it.
Obama will speak at veterans cemetery; Biden to lay wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. A White House press release states: “On Monday, the President will participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. Also on Monday, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden will host a breakfast for Gold Star Families at the White House. Afterwards, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.” Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is dedicated as a national cemetery within the VA’s National Cemetery Administration. [WhiteHouse.gov, 5/24/10]
1983: Reagan attended summit meeting; Defense Department official Thayer laid wreath at Arlington. Deputy Secretary of Defense W. Paul Thayer laid a wreath at Arlington Cemetery during the Memorial Day ceremony in 1983, according to a May 31, 1983, Washington Post article (retrieved from the Nexis database). The Associated Press reported that President Reagan attended a “summit meeting in Williamsburg, Va., with leaders of the industrialized democracies.”
1992: George H.W. Bush allowed VP Quayle to lay wreath. In 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, according to a May 26, 1992, Boston Globe article (from Nexis). The Globe reported that President George H.W. Bush attended a wreath-laying ceremony and made brief remarks at an American Legion hall in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he also played a round of golf.
2002: George W. Bush spoke at commemoration in Normandy. On May 27, 2002, President George W. Bush spoke at a Memorial Day commemoration in Normandy, France.
Veterans Day 2007: Cheney attended ceremony to pay tribute at Arlington as Bush remained in Texas. On November 11, 2007, the AP reported that “President Bush honored U.S. troops past and present at a tearful ceremony Sunday for four Texans who died there.” The AP further reported that “Vice President Dick Cheney went to Arlington to pay tribute to Iraq veterans.”
Report: Blogger Claiming Affair Has Years Of Text Messages With SC Gov Candidate
The website of the prominent South Carolina blogger who claims he had an “inappropriate physical relationship” with gubernatorial front-runner Nikki Haley is claiming in a new post that there are five years worth of emails, voicemails, and text messages between the two — though the site, FITSNews, isn’t saying much about what the correspondence reveals.
South Carolina – Nikki Haley – Politics – Website – Will Folks
Probe Finds MMS Inspectors Got Free Peach Bowl Tickets, Looked At Porn
An inspector general report on the Lake Charles, LA, office of the Minerals Management Service found that inspectors accepted a free trip to the 2005 Peach Bowl paid for by an oil company.
New Gun-Rights Gambit Sweeping Nation: ‘Firearms Freedom’
Supporters of gun rights have hit on a new gambit that ties in perfectly with the far-right’s fears during the Obama era.
Gun politics – Gun Control – Pro-Gun Rights – Brady Campaign – Peter Hamm
New York Book Expo: Duchess Sarah & 40 pounds of free books!
The 2010 New York Book Expo moved into full swing today. Last night Barbra Streisand gave the keynote speech and I positively hung on (and wrote down) every single word. But it will take me forever to transcribe all that, so you will just have to wait to find out what “La Streisand” actually said. […]
Ensign Gears Up to Run Again
Despite an ethics investigation and an extramarital affair he had with a staffer, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) is determined to run for re-election, the Los Angeles Times reports.
“The Nevadan has started organizing fundraisers and making calls to donors for help in winning a third term in 2012. Ensign, once a rising star in the Republican leadership, collected a mere $50 during the first quarter of this year, but he’s confident that is about to change.”
Said Ensign: “We just took some time off. We’re getting it geared back up.”
Blumenthal Keeps Big Lead Over McMahon
A new Quinnipiac poll in Connecticut finds Richard Blumenthal (D) leads Linda McMahon (R) by 25 points in the U.S. Senare race, 56% to 31%.
Blumenthal held a 33 point lead in March.
Said pollster Douglas Schwartz: “It looks like Connecticut voters forgive Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, or feel that there is nothing to forgive in the Vietnam service flap. While he has taken a hit with voters, his poll numbers were so high to begin with that he still maintains a commanding lead over Linda McMahon.”
He added: “What is surprising is that McMahon gets no bounce from her Republican convention victory. Her negatives went up 13 points from 26 percent unfavorable to 39 percent unfavorable. The more voters get to know McMahon the less they like her.”
Are Goldman Sachs and the Megabanks Able to Wipe out an Entire Economy with a Keystroke?
How artificial intelligence and robotrading pose a growing threat to the global marketplace.
How artificial intelligence and robotrading pose a growing threat to the global marketplace.
10 Things You Need (But Don’t Want) To Know About the BP Oil Spill
How the owner of the exploded oil rig has made $270 million off the disaster, and nine other shocking, depressing facts about the oil spill.
How the owner of the exploded oil rig has made $270 million off the disaster, and nine other shocking, depressing facts about the oil spill.
Will Congress Finally Tax The Billionaires?
Wall Street tycoons get taxed at lower rates the the people who clean their buildings. Congress might be about to change that.
Wall Street tycoons get taxed at lower rates the the people who clean their buildings. Congress might be about to change that.
Peter Beinart Lashes His Lobby Critics (UPDATE) ++Dershowitz
The original piece is below. It is about Dershowitz. I’m updating with Peter Beinart’s excellent response to the Jeff Goldbergs of the world, who are going after Beinart the way they go after…anyone who dares criticize the Israeli government. Except…
Middle East – Alan Dershowitz – Warfare and Conflict – United States – Israel
Rand Paul Supports Tax Dollars Being Used to Enforce Private Discrimination
Seeing this piece at the Edge of the West, I couldn’t help noting the complete absurdity of the distinction Rand Paul makes between opposing “public” segregation while opposing laws that stop “private segregation.” Edge of the West suggests someone ask…
Law – Rand Paul – United States – Police – Civil and political rights
Why Wall Street’s Political Poison Is Still Catnip for Many Incumbents
Today’s quiz: At a time when California’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is losing ground to her Republican rival in the primary because of her ties to Wall Street, when Utah’s incumbent Senator Robert Bennett was just booted out by…
Wall Street – Utah – Republican – Meg Whitman – California
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You are currently browsing the The Hollywood Liberal weblog archives for the day Thursday, May 27th, 2010.
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Cost Of The Iraq War. $4-6 Billion For a Lie. |
Where's Osama?On Sept. 11th, 2001 George Bush said he would catch bin Laden dead or alive. He never did, we used to run a counter showing how many days it had been, but Obama finally took care of it for him. Just another Bush lie. |
The Hollywood Liberal started in 2004 at the height of the Bush Administration madness in America. We were inspired by the late great Bartcop.com. The very first thing I did when the site started was to get arrested at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York. My arrest at the start of a march from The World Trade Center was later ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. On New Years Eve 2014 the case was finally settled, with a judge awarding a class action suit that I was part of over $26 Million. I posted daily on the blog up until the end of The Bush error, and the site is now run as a history of the whole fiasco. Feel free to browse the old postings, pictures, & comics (an HL favorite) It reveals the twisted history of the times. Thanks H.L.
